Article sorting control arrangement



Oct. 31, 1961 ARTICLE SORTING CONTROL ARRANGEMENT STEINBUC H El AL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1959 am 2.558 avg 8 8 no St n 53539:

INVENTOR.

Oct. 31,. 1961 K. STEINBUCH ElAL 3,006,466

ARTICLE SORTING CONTROL ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1959 Fig. lb

INVENTOR.

K. s'rnnmucn 7U. SGHOI'I'LE 1, 5' BY M ATTORNEY United States Patent F 3,006,466 ARTICLE SORTING CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Karl Steinbuch, Reichenbach, near Karlsruhe, and U lr1ch Schottle, Stuttgart, Germany, assignors to International Standard Electric Corporation, New. York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 797,703 Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 8, 1958 3 Claims. (Cl. 209-72) This invention relates to an articles sorting arrangement in particular for the distribution of mail items, into which the destination of each mail item is fed into a store, by operators who actuate keyboards, and the destination information being in the form of a succession of letters of the name, or in the form of a code, and which then accordingly establishes a predetermined conveying path for said items. The identification of the destination name may be used for directly setting a conveying path or for attaching a marking to the mail items according to the identification. At the respective time positions these markings will then be scanned at arbitrarily located distribution points, and are used for the setting of conveying paths or sections.

In order to solve this problem it has already been proposed to provide a contact arrangement in which the buttons corresponding to the individual letters of the destination names successively establish a sequence of contacts, thus electrically indicating the conveying path. By the evaluating circuit there are evaluated as many of the letters of the completely keyed-in destination names as are necessary for enabling an unambiguous identification of the location.

However, it has proved that this solution is unfavorable, because the number of letters varies within the individual destination names. On the other hand, and in the case of long destination names or such ones which, for being better distinguished, still require an addition such as on Rhine, there has to be keyed-in a relatively high number of letters.

For overcoming the last-named disadvantage, it has been previously suggested to apply to an evaluation circuit direction criteria representative of the destination of the mail items and to automatically transmit revertive signals from the evaluation circuit to the operators positions after application to the evaluation circuit of the requisite number of letters denoting a destination.

This arrangement, however, is disadvantageous in that the evaluation circuit must be connected to a particular operators position for a relatively long time (until the destination storage is complete), and this consequently busies the evaluation circuit.

- In accordance with a fundamentally difierent solution it is possible to key in incomplete destination names of the address and to constitute a code from a number of code letters which are taken from the destination name in accordance with certain rules. As a rule there may be set up a code which will include only the first, third, fourth and last letters of the destination name.

However, as with all coding systems (unless a very long code us used) there will result a remainder of the destination names which are not unambiguously defined by a letter code. This remainder will increase the simpler code system and will decrease with the employment of a more complicated system.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article sorter in which there is used one of the last-mentioned destination name-coding methods. The invention is based on the recognition of the use of the most simple code system for enabling a quick recognition of the code letters within the destination name also to render the 3,006,466 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 arrangement readily operable by less experienced personnel, and to use as few as possible code letters, for achieving short keying times. A limit with respect to the simplification is given by the reasonable number of destination names which cannot be unambiguously represented by the code.

According to the invention there is provided a translator which is arranged in such a way that it will characterize the conveying path to be selected by a code having a number of code letters which is limited, and that it, subsequently to the keying-in by an operator of the code letters which are determinable in advance and in accordance with the most elementary code of the destination names and which are not unambiguously determinable, will transmit a backward signal to the operators position. This signal will then cause the operator or the sorter to subject the mail item to a special treatment.

It is appropriate to arrange in the conveying path and in advance of a letter-facing or stamp-cancellation device a switching device which, upon the occurrence of the above mentioned signal, automatically reroutes the unrecognized mail item from the main conveying path to a resorting position, which is either likewise connected to the translator, and in which the code letters are only picked out in accordance with another rule, or in which the sorting is effected manually.

Among others, the invention bears the advantage that the translator can be designed to have a relatively small size. Furthermore, the keying time is reduced to a In addition thereto the unrecognized mail items are prevented from being fed or routed to the letter-facing or stamp-cancellation device respectively, so that the latter can already start to handle the next successive mail item, in cases where the translator is immediately switched to receive information from the next operators position.

' The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the novel type of article sorting control arrangement,

FIG. 1a shows the series-parallel converter 8,

FIG. lb shows the translator arranged between the outputs of the series-parallel converter 8 and the coincideuce circuits 9.

As shown in the drawing, the conveying path of a mail sorting machine is designated by the heavy black lines and which conveying path extends from operators positions 1 to deflector device 2 to a mail processing device 4. The device 4 constitutes no part of the invention and, therefore,it is shown as a rectangle. It may either be a stamp cancelling device or a letter facingmachine, both of which are well known in the art. The deflector devices 2 are arranged to feed into an alternate conveying path which leads to the resorting operators position 3 and thence to the processing device 4. The maid deflecting devices 2 are of a known type and the left-deflecting device shown in the drawing, is in its switched position so that mail coming from the left-most'operators position 1 will be deflectedfto the alternate path leading to the resorting operators position 3. Both deflecting devices 2 to the right of the drawing are shown with their switch positions set to lead directly into the processing apparatus 4.

Each p rators position 1 consists of a keyboard dev1ce 5 and an indicating device 5a. The indicating device may be of any suitable type and is not further described. The keyboards .5 are of known types,

shown in US. Patent 2,741,662 issued April 10, 1956 for example as and are adapted to bekeyed by an operator in accordance with. a. particular code, for example, each key of. the keyboard may represent a letter and may correspond to a printing telegraph keyboard which is adapted to transmit a'five-unit code (or a lesser code, as is. known to the art): to a connecting device 6. The connecting device" 6 is similar to a telephone line finder which may sequena tially scan the output leads from respective of the oper- MOIS positions. 1'. Such a device is well known. to those skilled in the art. One example of such a scanning mechanism or. line finder is shown in FIGURE. 42, page 395 and is describedorr page 391 and on page 399 of the book Handbook for Telephone Managers and. Engineers, B. C. Burden, Editor, published by the Automatic Electric Company, Northlake, Illinois, 1957 edition- Another'example of a line finder is. given in the book Telephony, vol. 11 by J. Atkinson, 1950, Pittman and Sons, London. On page 620, FIGURE 605 and'discussion' on page 6241 and in FIGURE 603,. page 619, various line fin'derarrangements are described. There are other types of. known apparatus suitable for the scanner 6 also. All that is necessary is that the scanner 6' sequentially connect theoutput of one of the keyboards, such as5,. through the scanner 6 to the translating device 7. When one keyboard operator at 1 has sent in a particular address, the

scanner 6 will then connect the next keyboard 5 to thetranslator and so on, so that the keyboards 5. at the various operator positions 1 are sequentially connected to the translator 7 for short periods of time.

The connecting device 6'is connected to a translation device 7 by a suitable line. The device 7 comprises converter 8 consistingv of shift registers a through e capable of storing a suitable number of code combinations. The shifting registers may be of any known type, such as a neon tube register, a magnetic core register, etc., it being necessary only to store the several .code combin'ations which may be' keyed into it from any op'erators position and representing given sequences of a mail'des'tination, for instance, the first, third, fourth and last" letters of a destination name. A typical form of ashift register using magnetic cores is shown in. FIGURE 514 and described on pages 221 through 223 of the book Digital Computer Components and Circuits by R. K. Richards, 1957, Van Nostrand Company, Princeton. types of shift registers are shown in the same book in FIGURES-2, page 192 and FIGURE 5-11-0, page 214. The design and construction of such shift registers are well known in the art and any of several types available may be picked for convenience for use as the 'shift registers a, b, c, d, e"in- FIGURE 11;. It should be understood that the particular letters chosen are arbitrary and any other suitable selection might be arranged if desired. The shifting'registers a through 6 serve as a translator, which may conveniently be a series parallel converter.

According to the showing of FIG. 1a there are provided'five'shift registers a 2, corresponding to'the five positions of the teleprinter code by which theletters ofthe destination names are represented. Theindiv'idual' letters are respectively stored in parallel on the five lines fi into the respective shift registers. For each destination name there are used four letters, which are successively keyed-in; Therefore, for each shift register there are provided four storage'cells. The storing-in on the' five lines 1 .u' is respectively effected synchro n'ously into the first column. At the next letter the contents-is shifted further by one'column, so that finally all four letters are stored fully in parallel. Thepar'ts of the circuit arrangement which are necessary for operating the shift registers are not shown in the drawings, because they are considered to be well-known to the one skilled in the art.

The c'onverter8 has a plurality. ofparallel outputs 11 30, there being one output forevery possible recognizable sequence of identification or code letters. Each pair of parallel outputsi'correspond to-a different Additional destination and are coupled to different ones of" coincidence circuits 9. These circuits. are well known and require the coincidence of two inputs to render them operable and are better known as AND gates.

FIG. 1b shows one such translator circuit serving the first four letters of the destination name Washington. Of the outputs 11' the outputs 1'1 15 are respectively assigned to the first, the outputs'lfi 20 to the second, the outputs 21 25 to the third, and the outputs 26 30 to thefourth letter. This-is illustrated in FIG. 1b by the four bord'ered'or encas'edgroups of five outputs each.

If it is assumed now that. the letter W includes" the first and the fourth position, the letter H includes the first, second and fourth position, the letter S includes the third and fourth position, the letter N incIud'es'the second, third, fourth. and fifth position of. therfive -unit' code.

The aforementioned positions then are the marked out puts (solid or fat lines) and are all connectedwith the: gate 9a; the other positions then are the non-marked out! puts (thin lines) and correspondingly connectedwith the gate 9b. The outputs of these two gates are'led. tothe AND gate. 9, at the output of which the name of Washington will be indicated as being recognized upon appearance of an output signal.

. The outputs of the different coincidence circuitsi9 represent a different destination as shown, and are c'oupled' to the mail processing apparatus 4. Thus, if. the destination of" a mail item is keyed into the keyboard 5 by an: operator, and the code he has keyed corresponds to.- the city of Berlin, for instance, the converter 8 recognizes such a destination. Since the apparatus is adapted. to recognize same, the mail item will proceed onithe conveying path from. the operators position to the mail processing device and the outputs from the relevant coinci. deuce circuit will cause the processing device 4 to operate Of course, the relevant deflecting device 2zwill be set for a through passage of themail item from the relevant operators position 1 to the device 4;

Letus now assume that the operator erroneously keys into his keyboard an erroneousdestination not recogniz able by the device 7, then at none of the outputs ofthe' coincidence circuits 9 there will be-producechan output signal; Furthermore, the outputs, of the AND gates 9 are connected with a NOT gate 96 for etfecting that then and only then when no signal appears in" the operat-- ing rhythm at one of its: inputs, an output signal will appear at;v the NOT gate 96. The output. of. NOT gate 9c is connected with the one input. of the AND gates 10. The output of the NOT circuit: 96 connected in parallel: to a'plurality of additional coincidence gates 10 and which gates are likewise AN gates; The: gates 10 are adapted to openupon the simultaneous ap plication of a signal from a corresponding operatorsposition 1 and a signal from a NOT gate. circuit 90. The operation of a gate 10'will cause the'associated' deflecting device Zto switch the conveying tothe operators position 3. This will: occur'when' the operator has keyedin a'destination notcatered for by the device 7. Whenever this situation occurs a warning device 5a'will be actuated to notify the'operator that either arr erroneous'design'ation has been keyed or adesignation not catered for by the apparatus has been keyed. The: conduction: of the NOT gate 90 would'also cause the connecting device 6 to be switched toa succeeding operators' position so that the device 7 may immediately evaluate information relating to another piece of mail, and thus maintain the system in constant operation. Thus items of mail which are de-'- flected by the devices Zare sent to' the resorting position 3 and which position is connected to the device 7' by means of the electrical path- 3a. It is intended that if the destination and the'reject'ed' pieceof mail is capable of sent onto. the processing, apparatus 4 from the. position 3'- If, however, the destination is one that should not be catered for by the translating device 7, the operator may manually sort or extract the offending mail item.

The invention is adapted to permit the use of a relatively simple recognition code, such as keying the first, third, fourth and last letters of a destination. For instance, if the name Washington appeared on a mail item, an operator would depress the keys W, S, H and N, respectively, in that order. Assume that with such a code, two destinations are possible having the same 1, 3, 4 and last letters. The evaluation device can be preset to reject both of these destinations and the NOT gates 9c could be made to operate as previously explained. In practice there will be few destinations which have identical first, third, fourth and last letters, and mail items to such destinations may be manually handled in the resorting operators position 3. The bulk of the mail items handled will have destinations which are unique as fat as the evaluation device 7 is concerned and, therefore, the simplest possible coding arrangement may be utilized, as explained hereinabove.

While we have described above the principles of our invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of our invention, as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article sorting arrangement comprising a plurality of operators positions for keying a code corresponding to the destination of said articles to be sorted, a processing means, a conveying path extending between each of said operators positions and said processing means, an article deflecting means in each of said conveying paths adapted when operated to deflect said article from said conveying path, translating means common to said operators positions for decoding said destination code connecting means for sequentially connecting said operators positions to said translating means on a one-at-a-time basis, said translating means including circuit means for providing a control signal indicative of the destination of said article, gate means operable responsive to the non-appearance of said control signal for operating said deflecting means and said connection means to deflect said article from said conveying path and to advance the said connecting means to a different operators position.

2. An article sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said translating means further includes shift registers in parallel to store the code corresponding to the destination of the article to be sorted.

3. An article sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an additional conveying path coupled to each of said article deflecting means, said additional path adapted to receive articles deflected from their associated conveying paths upon operation of the associated article deflecting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,898,452 Berti et al. Aug. 4, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 723,609 Great Britain Feb. 9, 1955 

